Improvement in nail-separators



n s. M. HOWARD. Nail-Separator.

No. 219,863. Patented Sept. 23,1879.

N. PETERS. FKOTU-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

` NTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STANTON M. HOWARD, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA. 1'

` IMPROVEMENT IN NAIL-SEPARATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 219,863, datedSeptember 23, 1879; application filed December 14, 1878.

My invention relates to screens for use inthe manufacture of nails.commonly called nail-pickers, in which screens the slits or spacesbetween the bars are made adjustable for diierent sizes of nails.

The invention is an improvement upon the form shown in the patentgranted October 23,

1877, and numberedy 196,456.

In that patent the screen was made infcylindrical form, and thebarsarranged lon gitudinally of the cylinder. The screen was composed of twocylinders, one fitting closely Within the other, each cylinderconsisting of rings at the ends connected by the longitudinal bars,between which were the slits for the passage of scale, defective nails,and like refuse matter.

The two cylinders were capable of rotary mo,- tion upon each other, andone carrying an inner and the other an outer set of bars, the opposingfaces of which were iiatpv and fitted closely to each other. A slightlnotiomof one cylinder upon the other caused one set of bars to voverlapthe other, and thus diminished the width of the interstice'vs; but asthe bars were made ilat on their contiguous or opposing faces, and roundor angular on their opposite sides, and one se't overlapped the other,one side of each slit orinterstice presented to the interior of thecylinder was formed by the inner iiat surface ofthe outerbar, and theother by the round or inclined inner surface of the inner bar.

. The result of this was found-to be in. practice that t-he nailsdropping through bythe points and suspended by the heads hung in aposition inclined from radial lines, the heads being held higher on thatside of the slot on which the rounded lor angular inner bar projectedover its corresponding lower bar. This caused the cylinder to operateimperfectly, for sometimes the nails having heads only slightly larger'than the body, `suspended in this inclined position, would fall throughthe unequal support, the receding outer bar under the lat projectingledge above it permitting the head to pass through one side first,after'the manner of a button. Further, the nails which lodged in properposition, and were held by the heads, and were carried around by therevolution of the cylinder, by reason of their inclined position as theyhung in the slots,' would be carried around withoutJ falling out,'and`thus their passage through the screen would be retarded.

Another object-ion i'oundfin the form shown in the patent referred towas the difficulty of fitting accurately the ilat bars "placed face toface, and of keeping them in position. y The adjacent bars coming edgeto edge, any sagging of one would practically Widen the `slitandincrease the liability oi' the nails falling through. The double barsalso added greatly Vto the Weight of the screen.

To obviate all these objections, after much study and experiment, I havedevised a form of compound bar, in which a iiat bar'fits closely andadjustably within a rabbet on the lower or outer side of the main bar,said ilat bar projecting toward the opposite inclining edge of Athe nextbar and having the same bevel, so

as to form a symmetrical Vfshapedl groove.

4The main or inner bar is made with arib projecting radially inward,either brought ro a sharp edge with straight inclined sides or rounded,or having the edge of `the Vshaped section slightly truncated. The saidinner bars are iiXed upon the outer rings, or those which are at theextreme ends of the cylinder.

The flat bars, itting into the rabbet of the main bars, are connectediirmly to the inner rings. The flat bars are made of the same thicknessas the outer rings,so that the outer Vsurfaces of the main barsrestagainst the said inner rings, and may be moved over; them in contacttherewith.

Slight peripheral motion of one cylinder in relation to the other Willmove the lat bars in relation to the main rabbeted bars and change thewidth ofthe interstices. v 1

In the drawings I have shown the forms embodying my invention foundinpractice to be preferable.

Figure'l represents alongitudinal section of the screen with part of theannealing-furnace to which it is attached. Fig. 2 shows a transversesection on line x x; Fig. 3, a side View of one end of the cylinder,showing adjusting devices. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 represent modifications ofthe form of the bars.

In this drawing, Fig. l, a a represent the inner rings, to which themain bars b are attached. c c represent the outer rings, with the flatbars d riveted thereto. Fig. 2 shows clearly the form of said bars.

The bars b are represented in diierent forms; but it is essential thatthey should be approximately wedge-shaped, so as to turn either one wayor the other the nails or refuse material falling thereon in therevolution of the picker.

Beneath and on one side they are rabbeted, as shown at e, said rabbetsbeing about threeeighths inch in depth and live-eighths inch in width.The tiat bars d fit snugly, as represented, into the rabbets. They arebeveled on the outer edge at the same angle as the main bars, so thatwith the opposite face ofthe adjacent bars they form symmetricalV-shaped grooves.

The main bars, for the sake of cheapness and rigidity, are made ot'cast-iron. The inner liat bars are formed of steel--a material necessaryfor bars ot' such thickness and length.

It will be observed that when the ilat bars are moved into the rabbetsto the full extent the V- shaped grooves have uniform plain sides fromapex to base. When the fiat bars are moved out to diminish the slits, aslight ledge is formed on one side; but as the lower part ofthe grooveor slot remains of the same V shape. no disadvantage occurs in theoperation of the machine.

The cylinder ofthe picker is made ordinarily from thirty inches to fourfeet in length and about twenty-twoinches in diameter.

In machines of larger size various expedients may be resorted to for thepurpose ot' obviat ing the tendency of the bars to sag in the middle.The form of the bars may be made for this purpose as shown in Figs. 4and 5. When the form is used as shown in Fig. 2, a lug, g, vmay be caston .the main bar, fitted to project under the dat steel bar and support"the same.

It will he seen on the right hand of' Fig. 1 that the outer ring on thatend is made wider and fitted to overlap the annealing-cylinder B, towhich it may be securely bolted and revolved therewith.

The rings which support the bars are shown clearly in section in Fig. 1,and the adjusting devices in Figs. 2 and 3. These devices consist ofmetallic ears h h', the first fixed to the outer ring, a, and bentsidewise to face the ear h', which is bolted to the ring c by a threadedbolt, I, passing through the ears, and affording means for moving thecylinders in relation to each other, and thus accurately adjusting thewidth ot' the slits.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, ls-

1. ln a screen for cleaning and separating nails, the compound barcomposed of a rahbeted and a flat bar the parts being constructed andarranged for adjustment in relation to each other as set forth.

2. The combination of the rahbeted bar and the Hat bars, arranged tomove in the rabhet, and the inner and outer rings, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have Signed my name to this specification in thepresence of t\vo subscribing witnesses.

STANTON M. HOWARD.

Witnesses:

A. C. RICHARDS, WARREN SEELY.

